my eternity
by WalkingAnomaly
Summary: Naruto wants to bring Sasuke back to the village. Sasuke wants to spend eternity with Naruto, but has only six months before he becomes Orochimaru's vessel. SasuNaru
1. Voices of the past

Summary: Naruto goes out to confront Sasuke...and wakes up not remembering the meeting. He struggles to remember what happened and understand why Sasuke wants him with him before Sasuke's last six months of being in control of his body are up.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do, however, own an orange jacket…I got it for Christmas. :)

**Chapter one: Voices of the Past**

_ I'm running, running...why am I running? This feels like a dream, but I'm sure it's more than that. Maybe this is a memory? But then why can't I remember what I'm running for? I think I'm looking for something...someone. My feet hit the ground in a steady rhythm, duh-dub, duh-dub, almost like a heartbeat. It helps me focus as little bits of memory seep into my brain. I know for certain now that I'm looking for someone, someone I haven't seen in a long time. Sasuke. I'm running for Sasuke. I remember the meeting with Tsunade now, how she called me into the Hokage's office and told me that she had received reports of Sasuke, had heard where he was rumored to be heading. She assigned me this mission to head to the location and confront him, ask him--no, _tell _him to come back. I'm flying over the ground now, the thumping of my feet on the ground speeds up until it matches the beating of my own frenzied heart. Will he really be there? Will I really see him again? I can't bear the thought of returning without him, whether due to a failed attempt or this being faulty information, so I don't let my mind think about it. I know I need to find him. He only has half a year left before Orochimaru can possess his body. I shudder at the thought, my heartbeat and pace quickening. I know I'm almost there. I can sense it in my very soul. It's right ahead, so close...three seconds, two seconds, one second..._

Naruto's eyes open to darkness. Feeling something over his eyes, he closes them and makes to move his hand up to brush it away, and feels his other hand forced to move with it. 'What...? Why are my hands bound?' He experimentally shifts his legs--in the process noting that he is laying on a something soft that he assumes to be a bed--and finds his ankles and bound together, too. His breath starts to come faster as he starts to panic.

"Ah, you're awake." The voice is close but barely above a whisper. It came so unexpectedly and so quietly that Naruto can't decide if it is male or female, let alone if he recognizes it. He senses the owner of the voice shift, and hears quiet tapping as he or she moves over towards him.

Naruto freezes when he feels a hand touch his cheek lightly and slowly move up past the blindfold to run softly through his hair. "Wha..." he manages through his shock and fear. 'Where am I?' he wants to ask. 'Who are you? What's going on?' When he's about to find his voice, he hears a sound that causes his to turn his head quickly to the left. A useless motion, considering his covered eyes, but a reflex.

A door opening slowly, a tap-tap-tap of shoes on the ground, a relaxed but steady pace. The feet bring the new occupant of the room right up to his left side. He can sense the new arrival's stare, and hears him draw in a nearly silent breath to speak, a noise he would not have heard had his hearing not been intensified from the restriction on his sight. "We need to change his bandages. Or, if his healing ability is as amazing as you say, we can take them off already." Naruto recognized this man's voice, but he was not sure where he had heard it before. Something about it made him uneasy, and it wasn't the way the man so casually spoke about him, not too him, in his presence.

Something clicked, and he realized what the man had said. 'Bandages? Am I injured?' As if it had been waiting for him to think this, pain seeps into his entire body, a kind of stinging throbbing. He hisses at it, and winces as his chest gives a particularly painful throb. The silent person shifts beside him, and he feels the person lean in. The hand is back on his face, comforting him as the voice whispers something soft and calming that he fails to comprehend through his sudden pain. He knows he shouldn't--considering his current position--but Naruto feels reassured that everything is okay, and that he is safe for the time being. He unconsciously leans into the hand slightly. "Where am I? What's happening?" he voices some of his pressing thoughts, and is slightly startled at how weak his voice sounds. 'If I can get one of them to say something, even if they don't tell me anything, I can probably guess what's going on. If I get that guy to speak, I might figure out where I know his voice from. And that other person...if I can get that person talking, I'll know if I know who it is.'

"Naruto...you don't remember?" It was the first person again, speaking a little more loudly than the first time, but still barely above a whisper. (It's as if the two people didn't want to scare him by speaking too loudly, or didn't want to break the spell of silence that the room cast. With his own weak voice, he, too, was unable to break that spell.) He caught more of the tone of the voice this time, though, and pulled two things from it. One was that the speaker was male. The other was that he knew the man.

"S-sasuke? What...how did?" His voice was so weak, as if it wished to spite him. 'I can't be weak; I have to take Sasuke back to Konoha! If I show weakness, he'll not come back with me.' His panicked thoughts reflected upon his body, as he began to shift restlessly and grit his teeth.

"Naruto, calm down." Naruto complied right away. He took a calming breath before asking in an even tone: "Sasuke, why am I here?" He assumed 'here' was Sound, as it couldn't logically be anywhere else, not in his mind at least.

There was a pause, as if Sasuke was considering how to answer him. At last, he said, "I guess you don't remember, but we made a deal, and you agreed to stay here with me until...until six months go by." Naruto noticed how he was reluctant to say anything about his deal with Orochimaru. Speaking of deals...

"Why would I agree to stay here? What sort of deal did we make?" Naruto was a bit put out that he couldn't make his tone more threatening. 'Darn it, I hate feeling so weak!'

"It's best if you remember on your own. I'm sure you'll remember everything, given time."

'Why doesn't Sasuke want to tell me? He told me once, didn't he? Why not tell me again?' Naruto pondered this as he felt two pairs of hands removing bandages from his arms and legs. When they move to take off the bandages on his chest, he winces. 'Man, that hurts! What happened to me?'

"It looks like this is the only wound left...It will probably take a few more days to heal." The other man spoke, his voice tauntingly familiar. Naruto's mind suddenly attached a face with that voice: silver hair, glasses...Kabuto. 'So I am in Sound. Figures.' he thought. He gritted his teeth and hissed in pain as his chest wound was irritated by a new bandage being applied.

"Is it as bad as it looks, dobe?" Sasuke asked, not without a hint of worry, Naruto noticed.

"Ah, well, does it look like hell? 'Cuz it sure feels like it."

He felt Sasuke tense beside him. "Naruto…I'm sorry."

Naruto thought for sure he'd misheard. Sasuke, the cold-hearted bastard, actually apologized? There was definitely something wrong. He shook his head, deciding he'd figure it out later. "Um, it's okay. But…Sasuke? Could you untie me?"

"Yeah. We though you might freak out when you woke up. So, we decided tying you up would prevent any," he paused, trying to find the right word, "Incidents." As he explained, he was slowly undoing the ropes that bound Naruto's hands and feet. Finally he reached up to Naruto's face and pulled off the blindfold. Dark eyes met blue, and Naruto caught a flash of something akin to concern in Sasuke's eyes, before they assumed their regular apathy.

"Sasuke…" Naruto whispered. He briefly though of all the things he could say: threats, claims that he was going to take Sasuke back with him to Konoha, insults…but the thing that came out of his mouth was a cheeky "Nice to see you again, teme."

A/N: So, how was it? Interesting? Horrible? I'd love a review, if you have the time. I won't post the next chapter until next year. Ha! Scared you there, didn't I? As today is New Year's Eve, tomorrow _is_ next year! (Man, I hate that joke.) I'll try to get it up by Friday. Thanks for reading!


	2. Voice of deals

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, someone would have slapped Sakura by now. Preferably me.

'thinking'

"speaking"

_flashbacks  
_

**Chapter two: Voice of Deals**

_I break into a clearing…it's empty. No! Sasuke must be here, he _has_ to be here! I look around, but I'm alone. So alone. Why? He was supposed to be here! Tsunade told me so. Konoha information gatherers had heard someone from Sound talking about his movements, saying he was going to be right _here_, right _at this time! _Maybe it was a trap…but no, it's no trap. Sasuke's not here, but neither is an ambush. What was that? I could have sworn I heard something. I turn to the source of the noise, but I don't see anything._

"_Hn. Dobe." Sasuke's voice rings out in the silent clearing, and I find him standing where I had been looking seconds before. He's fast._

"_Sasuke! I'm here to take you back to Konoha, even if I have to tie you up and drag you back!" I yell at him to hide my shock. When he doesn't respond, I continue: "I bet you didn't expect me here, teme! What kind of ninja wanders around the forest alone, and lets himself be found? You know, tons of people knew you were coming here; ero-sennin heard people talking about it! How careless, to let your plans be known!"_

"_Did it ever occur to you that I wanted Konoha to know about my plans? What kind of ninja falls into such an obvious trap?" He gave me his familiar smirk._

"_Trap? What, have you decided to kill me again? I don't think you can actually go through with it! You could never kill one of your friends! But, if you want to fight me, I accept your challenge!"_

"_Tch. Dobe, I'm not here to fight you. But I suppose you won't agree without a fight…"_

"_Agree to what?"_

"_Naruto," he used my name for once, his tone deathly serious, "I want you to come back with me to Sound Village."_

"_Yeah…great joke, Sasuke. But what's this really about?" I asked him nervously._

"_Idiot. You know I don't joke."_

"_Then why in the world would you want me to come back with you?! It's not like I'd go there, anyway! Not in a million years!"_

"_Let's make a deal…We'll fight. If I win, you come with me to Sound. If you win, I'll go with you to Konoha. Fair?"_

"_Hah! I hope you packed your bags before you came here, Sasuke, because you are coming home with me! There's no way I'm going to lose!" _

Naruto woke up, but kept his eyes closed. 'I remembered more…I wonder what happened next.' Naruto briefly smiled at how he viewed his memories in an objective way, as though they were the plot of some novel he was reading. 'I wonder when the next volume will come out…'

Naruto opened his eyes and looked around. He was sharing a room with Sasuke. 'I'd hardly call it sharing a room, though. He's never here unless it's to sleep.' So far, Sasuke had been coming back to his room just as Naruto was falling asleep, and was always gone before Naruto got up. 'Training, I guess. Why did the bastard want me here if he's never going to talk to me?' In the week Naruto had been living in Sound, he'd only exchanged a few words with Sasuke.

After Sasuke had untied Naruto, he'd led him out of the hospital-like room and away from Kabuto. Walking through a maze of torch-lit hallways, he'd brought Naruto to the room they now shared. Sasuke seemed pretty convinced that the deal he had made with Naruto would prevent Naruto from leaving Sound, but he still locked the door to his room when he left, just in case.

Naruto was brought food three times a day, but he couldn't leave the room. He was _bored_. 'What am I supposed to do all day?' When he had asked Sasuke that question, Sasuke had silently indicated a bookcase. 'I don't want to _read,_ I want to _train!_' Even so, he walked over to the bookcase and selected a book that caught his eye. It was orange. He had though for a second that it was one of the books Kakashi-sensei was always reading, but it turned out to be about some fighting style. 'Of course…why would _Sasuke_ have Icha Icha Paradise? Stupid.'

He sat down to read and hardly moved for hours, only stopping for meals. He was still reading when Sasuke came back.

Sasuke walking in without a word, so Naruto assumed he didn't want to talk. Just to spite him, he started up a conversation. "So, Sasuke, how was your day?" he said in an overly cheery voice.

"Hn." Sasuke gave his trademark noncommittal grunt.

"Oh, my day was fine, thanks for asking, teme. Bit boring, though."

Sasuke looked at him oddly, so he decided to continue. "I remembered something today."

Well, _that_ got a response out of Sasuke. His eyes widened slightly, and he froze. He asked in a would-be-calm voice, "Oh really? What did you remember?"

"Oh, just our deal. It looked like we were about to fight, too. From where I am, I guess I lost." Sasuke relaxed a bit. "So, did I get beaten up that badly? You don't have any injuries, but I still have this gash of my chest." It was healing quickly with the help of the Kyuubi, but it wasn't yet gone.

"I was wounded, but Kabuto healed me. I didn't let him near you, though. Knowing him, he'd poison you or something just to annoy me." After he said this, he walked into the bathroom to change into sleeping clothes. Naruto had changed, about an hour before Sasuke had come into the room, into sleeping clothes Sasuke had given him.

"That makes sense." Naruto said. When Sasuke didn't answer, he took it to mean the conversation was over. He closed the book he had been reading for most of the day and put it down on the small table next to his bed. He glared at the book. 'Three guesses what I'll be doing tomorrow, and the first two don't count.' He gave the book one last angry glance before flopping on his bed and pulling the covers over his head.

Sasuke came out of the bathroom and walked over to his own bed, which was against the wall opposite Naruto's bed. He pulled the covers back and gracefully got in bed, and then pulled the covers up to his chest, keeping his arms out.

"Goodnight, Sasuke." Naruto mumbled from his bed. He was already half-asleep.

"Goodnight, Naruto." Sasuke said it so quietly, he was almost certain Naruto couldn't have heard him.

Across the room, Naruto smiled. He'd heard Sasuke's response, though the words barely registered in his hazy mind. As he drifted of to sleep, the smile still played on his lips. Even if he was stuck in Sound, he still got to see Sasuke. 'It's not that bad, I guess.' were his last thoughts as he drifted off to sleep.

On the other side of the room, his raven-haired roommate was not as content. Sasuke turned onto his side to face Naruto as Naruto slept, wondering what he was going to do when Naruto remembered what happened next. And then, there was what had happened after the fight…

A/N: I got it out on time! No one's more surprised than me. I must say, when I got the e-mail alerts that people had added my story to their favorites/watch lists…I danced for joy. I was afraid no one would read this. Thanks for making my day, people! Please review!

Well, my winter break ends soon, and I have homework to do still. After that, I only have one week of school before exam week. That being the case, my schedule is wacky, and I don't know when I'll post the next chapter. It might not be next Friday, but it will be the Friday after next at the very latest.

For those of you wondering when the SasuNaru stuff is coming, be patient! I've got a rough outline of this story, and chapter four will be full of it!

Next chapter: Angst! Naruto remembers the battle with Sasuke. How will it affect him?


	3. Voices of Battle

A/N: Hooray! My exams are over! I think I did pretty well, if I do say so myself. From now on, I'll try to post a new chapter every Friday or Saturday. Saturday is more likely. Sometimes I might be delayed a bit. I'm very disorganized, so I'm always forgetting stuff…Well, on with the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. But I did daydream about Naruto fanfiction during my exams.

**Chapter three: Voices of Battle**

_I glare at Sasuke to emphasize my point: I will not lose to him this time. "Let's go!" I yell. I reach in my weapons pouch and grab a kunai, charging at Sasuke all the while. He stands still until I reach him, then sidesteps my easily. Darn him… _

_Sasuke grabs my arm holding the kunai and twists it behind my back. "You always charge straight in, don't you?" he asks as he uses my arm to spin me around, sending me flying to the ground a few feet away from him. _

"_Well, it's better than doing nothing!" I say, jumping up and forming the hand sign for shadow clones. (1) I create twenty of them, and they all spread out, surrounding Sasuke. _

"_Patience is a virtue, dobe." Sasuke says coolly. He forms a series of hand signs that I vaguely recognize and breathes out a fireball that incinerates a few of my clones—the ones who were too slow to dodge—instantly. _

_A few more of my doppelgangers let out yells and try to attack Sasuke all at once, but they end up disappearing in a puff of smoke when he draws his katana to fend them off. _

_I nod to one of my clones, and he nods back, and then he retreats a bit, staying behind other Narutos. Sasuke doesn't react, but I can see him glance at the retreating clone as he battles still more clones. Will he fall for the same trick as Neji? (2)_

_Sasuke kills more kage bushin like they were nothing, wielding his sword with one hand and throwing kunai or shuriken with the other. _

_I jump back to avoid Sasuke's sword, which ends up destroying two more of my shadow clones. My plan's working. He thinks the clone I had hang back is the real me; that's why he's only sending kunai at it. 'This is perfect…I can sneak up, and he'll think I'm just a clone, so he'll hit me, but I won't disappear! Then I can attack him directly, and win!'_

_I run up behind Sasuke as he's attacking the last of my clones. When I get close, Sasuke whirls around and I hear a sickening thump. I look at his face; he's smirking at me like he thinks he's going to win. I look down and see that he's thrust his sword forward instead of swinging it, and it's embedded…_

_My eyes widen in shock, my mouth opens as I gasp from the intense pain in my chest, I draw a deep breath, "Ahh—"_

"—Ahh!" Naruto's eyes flew open and his hand reached to hold his chest where he imagined a sword to be.

"Naruto!" Naruto's hazy thoughts tried to focus and grasp the present situation: no sword, no wound, and no smirking raven haired—ah, well, sanity is overrated.

Naruto's scream continued upon seeing Sasuke right in front of him, but faded off as he noticed there was no pain. He looked down and slowly removed his hand. 'Nope, no gash. That's right, it healed a while ago.'

"Naruto, what's going on?!" Sasuke's usually uninterested voice managed to work up some emotion to go with his wide eyes. 'That's a rare thing.' thought Naruto.

"Uh, I, you know…" he trailed off, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable being in the same room with the guy who'd impaled him with a sword while wearing a triumphant smirk. "I remembered…our fight."

Sasuke's face paled. "I was beginning to hope you wouldn't remember that part." It had been quite a while since Naruto's last memory had shown up, almost three weeks.

'I wish I _hadn't_ remembered it.' Naruto thought. He had calmed down a bit but was still very shaken. The dream had been so real because it _was_ real, the next part in his lost memory.

When Naruto didn't respond, Sasuke looked at the clock on the nightstand beside his bed. It was time for his training to start. He looked back at Naruto who was still trembling slightly as he sat up in his bed. "It's time for me to go. Are going to be you alright?"

Naruto nodded mutely. As Sasuke exited the room, Naruto let out a relieved sigh. 'I can't talk to Sasuke. I can't believe he would do that! And he just smiled at me when he did it, too! Did the sick bastard just drag my bleeding body back to Oto to be patched up? What is wrong with him?! He even tied me up after that!' Naruto remembered the day he woke up in Oto clearly, even though it had been a month ago.

Naruto decided he wouldn't be able to sleep after that, and went to change clothes. All the while his mind was racing. 'What am I going to do? I mean, maybe he wants to kill me. I don't have any of my weapons to defend myself with.' Naruto glanced over at the bookshelf that had been his only source of entertainment for the entire time he had spend here so far. A lot of those books were on fighting styles, styles that don't require weapons. 'That might help…'

Naruto walked over to the shelf and picked up a book that looked promising. He'd read a few of the books already, but hadn't really been paying attention to what he'd been reading. Now, though, he read it in earnest.

Whenever Naruto would read about and understand a new move, he'd stand up and run through it until he felt confident. He hadn't trained at all while he'd been here, and he'd forgotten how good it felt.

By lunchtime Naruto had read a good percent of the book and had gotten the hang of many moves. He felt confidence that he would be able to defend himself should Sasuke suddenly decide it was time to kill Naruto. He had by this time completely convinced himself that Sasuke's purpose in keeping him here was to kill him, no matter what Sasuke had said before they'd fought. 'But it's not like I'm going to remind him. Nope! I'm not stupid enough to help him remember he wants to kill me!'

Naruto's confidence left him quickly when Sasuke walked through the door. Sasuke was frowning slightly, his forehead creased in deep thought. He looked aggravated about something. He looked more intimidating than Naruto remembered. 'Maybe if I don't bug him he'll forget I'm here.' Naruto proceeded to make as little noise as possible.

Sasuke looked over at him, confused by his silence. "What's wrong? Not going to say hello?" Naruto had greeted him every day when he came back from training, and bombarded him with seemingly endless chatter. The sudden disturbed Sasuke.

"Ah, that is, hello Sasuke!" Naruto forced as much enthusiasm as he could muster while still being quiet so as to not annoy Sasuke.

"Hn." Sasuke's response did nothing to convey his thoughts. 'Damn. He remembered the fight; that's why he's acting like this. I though he would hate me, but instead he's terrified of me…I don't know which is worse.'

Naruto was quiet as Sasuke went through his nightly routine of changing into clothes to sleep in, then pulling his covers and getting into bed. Naruto had yet to change out of the clothes he put on after he woke up because he had been training all day. He tiptoed over to the chest where the clothes he had been given were stored, and then just as quietly walked into the bathroom to change.

Sasuke watched him walk around the room, becoming more and more distressed but not showing it on his face. 'This whole thing was a bad idea. Naruto probably will never speak to me again. It can't get any worse than this. No, wait, it can. As soon as Naruto remembers the rest of what happened…he's going to come right out and tell me he hates me.'

As Naruto came out of the bathroom and got into bed, Sasuke turned the other way, facing the wall. 'I wonder what everyone in Konoha is doing.' It was not the first time Naruto had wondered this. Every day, he expected one of his friends to come busting through the door to save him; every day he was disappointed. 'I guess they don't care…'

Both teens drifted of to sleep in the same state: anxious, frustrated, and scared.

(1) I don't know about the term 'shadow clone' for his technique…Should I say 'kage bushin' or 'doppelganger' instead?

(2) The trick Naruto used during the chuunin exams…in case you didn't get it already.

A/N: Another Chapter down! But, blah, I'm sick. I have a cough. Whenever I speak my voice cracks, and my laugh sounds like a bicycle horn.

This took forever to start writing; I'm bad at fight scenes. Next chapter comes my favorite part: SasuNaru plot! I've been dying to write it since I came up with the idea for this story. Ooh, I think I'll have the explanation of the title in the next chapter, too... See you next week!

PS: I'm so sad…no reviews. sniff Not even an encouraging little 'can't wait for the next chapter!' I'm gonna cry, you guys:(

At this point, I'd even be happy about flames…I'm starved for attention!

Please review! (I told myself I would never beg for reviews…but…I really want one!)


	4. Voice of Love

A/N: Aargh, the story's late, my internet hates me! It didn't want to stay connected for more than three seconds, but now it's fixed. It shouldn't be a problem anymore.

Thank you to my lovely reviewers, you made my day!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Not yet… (mwahahaha.)

**Chapter four: Voice of Love**

_My scream ends as I run out of breath. I look up at Sasuke. The smirk that had once been in place fades into a look of confusion that gives way to pure horror. _

"_Naruto?" he gasps. He looks around the clearing and, sure enough, the shadow clone he had mistaken for the real Naruto has disappeared along with the rest. "Shit!" he hisses._

"_S-sa…" I gasp, and then let out a cough that brings blood with it. "Y-you win…"_

"_Naruto, that's not helping! Damn, I though you were a kage bushin." Sasuke lays me down on the ground, slowly pulling his sword out of my chest. He takes off his shirt and wraps it tightly around my torso, frantically trying to stem the flow of blood. He sits me up and uses one hand on my chest and the other on my back to apply pressure directly to the wounds. _(1)

"_Sasuke, what—"_

"_Naruto, don't talk; you'll waste energy. Whatever you do, though, don't fall asleep. You have to stay awake!" Sasuke's voice was quiet, but the tone betrayed that he was far from calm. _

"…_tired…" I say. It's all I can manage. My eyelids feel heavy and my vision is slightly blurry. I know he said to stay awake, but it's pretty hard; I feel dizzy, but my chest feels numb._

"_Damn! Naruto, keep your eyes open and your mouth closed!" Sasuke shouts. He is beginning to show how shaken he is by the situation. "I never wanted this to happen!" He says more to himself. "For the longest time, I wanted to hate you! I _tried_ to hate you…but I couldn't. I couldn't kill you at the Valley of the End, and I didn't want to kill you now. I just wanted to spend my last months with you. Naruto, I've finally accepted it, but now this…Naruto, I love you."_

_I hear his words, but they don't register. I'm so tired. Maybe I'll just close my eyes for a minute…_

"_No, Naruto!" I hear Sasuke scream, but I'm asleep seconds later._

Naruto woke up, but he didn't spring, gasping, from his prone position in bed like he had done before. He slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to face the bed across from his, which he was disappointed to see was empty. 'Or am I relieved?' Naruto considered what he had just remembered. 'That's all there is…I already know the rest. I wake up in a hospital bed some time later with my wounds dressed and partially healed, and start living in Sound Village.'

Naruto stood up, walked over to the bookshelves, and picked up a book to distract himself. He didn't want to think about Sasuke's words before his eyes closed. After reading the same line four times over, he decided it was no use. He'd have to give up trying to avoid it. 'He loves me…_loves_ me. How do I feel about him?'

Naruto reflected on when he first met Sasuke. Back then, he had hated him for sure. 'He had all the girls trying to get his attention, and he acted like he was better than everyone! Man, he was so rude…and he was always insulting me!' Naruto recalled how, when they had been put on the same team, Sakura was always ignoring him and trying to get Sasuke to go on dates with her. 'Back then, I had a crush on her. I guess that's why I hated Sasuke so much; he got all of Sakura's attention, but he just acted like it was annoying.' Naruto's feeling for Sakura had changed in the past couple of years. He now thought of her as a sister. 'Does that mean I don't have any reason to hate him anymore?'

But no, there was still the rivalry the two boys had formed while on the team led by Kakashi. On missions, each had always tried to outdo the other. 'Though I guess that was only a rivalry, not hate. In fact, we formed some kind of friendship, however much I hated to admit it at the time.'

But then there was the betrayal. 'Did I hate Sasuke for leaving Konoha?' This question bothered Naruto. His first thought was a firm 'Yes,' but it didn't quite convince him. He _hadn't_ hated Sasuke then, he had blamed Orochimaru. 'And I still don't blame him. I could never really _hate_ Sasuke, he's my friend. But do I _love_ him?'

Naruto remembered all the missions he had gone on to bring Sasuke back, including this most recent one that had landed him here. He remembered the determination he had, how hard he had tried each time, how excited he was when he heard rumors of Sasuke's movements…suddenly, the answer to his question was clear.

Sasuke was troubled. It had been exactly one week since Naruto had remembered the fight. From what he guessed, Naruto's memory ended right as Sasuke had stabbed him. Sasuke shuddered as he remembered it. 'Right then, I though I had stabbed a kage bushin. I didn't think he was smart enough to have one act like the real him.' Naruto's shocked face staring back at him had haunted him for days after the event. 'And now he's scared of me, or hates me, or something. He won't talk to me unless I ask him a question, and even then he answers in as few words as possible. What am I going to do?'

Sasuke sighed and walked on towards his room. Since Naruto's most recent memory had been recovered, he had been leaving for training earlier and ending training later. Orochimaru was pleased, but Sasuke was not. Sure, he was getting a lot stronger at a faster pace than anticipated, but he was practically keeping Naruto prisoner. 'Speaking of which, what am I going to do when he remembers my little confession? He's going to hate me for sure. What was I thinking, that if I apologized and told him how I felt, he would love me back? Of course he doesn't love me. In fact, he has more than enough reason to hate me. I mean, I abandoned him and tried to kill him! When he remembers and tells me he hates me, should I just send him back to Konoha?' Sasuke didn't like that idea…he had wanted Naruto with him until he had to give his body to Orochimaru. The thought of spending the last five months of his life without Naruto, knowing that Naruto hated him was unpleasant. 'I'm being selfish…I'll just have to wait and see how things play out.'

Naruto sat up on his bed waiting for Sasuke. When he had stopped talking to Sasuke, Sasuke had started saying out later. At the time, Naruto was relieved. Right now, he was slightly annoyed. 'Where is he?! I've been waiting all day!' Since Naruto had figured out his feelings for Sasuke, he had been working out what he was going to tell him. He'd gotten dressed, eaten meals, and tried to read, but his mind was always on Sasuke. 'He'd better get here soon!'

Just as Naruto though this, the door opened and Sasuke walked in. Naruto's heart sped up. He started doubting himself. 'What if that wasn't a memory, but a dream? If that's the case, I'm about to make a huge fool of myself…' Naruto stood up. "Sasuke."

Sasuke turned to face Naruto just after he closed the door. 'He's…speaking to me? I have a bad feeling about this.' "Yes?"

Naruto took a deep breath to steady himself. "I remembered the rest today." Naruto kept his face neutral. He was scared…what if Sasuke had been joking, or he'd just misheard Sasuke, or…?

Sasuke froze. He knew where this was going. "Naruto, I—I can guess what you're going to say, and I just hope we can at least stay friends. I don't want you to hate me for this." He looked at Naruto, trying to judge his reaction.

Naruto blinked. 'So that's why he was always tensing up when I told him I remembered something: he thought I would hate him for this!' "Sasuke, I don't think you know what I'm saying."

"No, Naruto, I do. You hate me and don't want to stay here anymore."

"No, bastard, I love you!"

Sasuke froze. Had he heard correctly? "You…do?"

Naruto sighed. This was kind of an awkward conversation. "Yeah, I do."

"But I thought—"

"Well, you thought wrong."

Sasuke smiled. He walked over to Naruto and wrapped his arms around him. "I love you, too."

Naruto smiled back and returned the hug.

'Better late than never.' Sasuke thought. Ever since he had realized his feelings for Naruto, he had wanted to find him and spend the rest of his life with him, an eternity if possible. 'But I only have five more months. Five more months with the one I love. Five months…my eternity.'

(1) Amazingly enough, I couldn't find an article on Wikipedia for 'run through with a katana.' I had to improvise, looking on multiple first aid articles. If this isn't right, I'm very sorry. From what I read, you should apply pressure to wounds for fifteen minutes before even checking to see if the bleeding has stopped.

A/N: Naruto's recovered all of his memories and everything's good…or is it? Next chapter: Voice of Evil. Gasp! Does the authoress have something planned for our happy couple? Maybe…evil laugh Find out next week! Err, due to my lateness…Find out in a few days!


	5. Voice of Evil

A/N: Here's the next chapter. See, it's on time! Thanks to the lateness of my last chapter, you get two chapters within a couple of days.

Lady Laran, you spoiled my fun:P Kudos on the good guess.

**Disclaimer:** I sent an e-mail to Masashi Kishimoto, asking if I could have ownership of Naruto. He sent me a reply simply saying 'Yes, of course.' Later, I found out the online English to Japanese translator I used had mistranslated my question into something like: 'If I were to steal Naruto, would I be thrown in jail?' So, I still don't own Naruto.

**Chapter five: Voice of Evil**

A strange warmth enveloped Naruto as he woke up. He felt well rested. When he opened his eyes, he saw a mass of black hair. Confused, he poked it. A sleepy groan was emitted from the shape, so he figured it was human and asleep. Remembering the events of the previous day, Naruto jumped up with an "Oh!"

Sasuke stirred at Naruto's loud exclamation, sat up, and turned to the blond boy. "Do you have to be so loud? It's," he looked at the clock next to the bed and sighed, "It's four A.M. Naruto." Sasuke didn't mind waking up early; in fact, he often woke up early in the morning. The thing that bothered him was that he didn't have to get up this particular morning, and he had been rudely awakened. Sasuke closed his eyes and lay back down, falling asleep almost at once.

Naruto muttered something about not having to be rude and got back in bed as well. He smiled as his thoughts turned to the night before. After convincing Sasuke that he didn't hate him and instead loved him, Naruto and Sasuke had sit down on Sasuke's bed and just talked. Sasuke, though he hadn't wanted to admit it, had been curious about what was going on Konohagakure. Naruto had filled him in on the latest happenings (or what had been the latest happenings when he had been there over a month ago), and Sasuke had added comments or disdainful sighs where he had thought appropriate. It had been nice to have a real conversation with him, Naruto thought. 'I guess we just fell asleep sitting there.' Naruto's mind wandered and he found himself wondering what his friends were up to back home.

* * *

Tsunade sighed, not for the first time that day. It had been a month and a week since she had sent Naruto on that mission. The reports Jiraiya had brought her claimed Sasuke was traveling alone, so Tsunade had though it was alright to send Naruto by himself. Of course, she had sent a backup team only an hour behind Naruto. She smiled sadly. 'Little good that did.'

Kakashi had led the backup team. When had they arrived, they had seen signs of a battle. The ground had been covered in footprints, scorch marks, and blood. Kakashi had summoned his ninja dogs, and they had confirmed that the blood spattered on the ground had been Naruto's. All other scents had died in that clearing; no doubt they had been carefully concealed. Tsunade shuddered. She hadn't been there, but Kakashi's report was descriptive enough for her to picture it. The amount of blood had been substantial. It was likely Naruto hadn't survived his encounter with Sasuke.

The reactions to Naruto's supposed death were varied. Some were not concerned, as they saw Naruto's death as the death of the demon fox. Others were heartbroken over the loss of a dear friend. Some of those who were closest to Naruto, however, still held onto a small shred of hope that Naruto was alive. Tsunade had been one of those at first, but after a month with no news, she was losing hope.

Tsunade mentally punished herself for the umpteenth (1) time. 'I sent him straight into a trap…I'll never see him again, and it's entirely my fault!' She reached in her desk drawer for a bottle of sake, only to find she had already finished the last bottle. Before she could close the drawer, however, she noticed her lottery ticket. 'I lost…' It took a minute for the implications of this to sink in, however. When they did, she grabbed her lottery ticket and jumped up, running out of her office.

'Where's Jiraiya when you need him?' she ran towards the women's baths. 'Of course.' When she saw the white haired man sitting outside the building, she called his name loudly.

Jiraiya spun around, terrified of being caught peeping by the abnormally strong woman. "Ah, Tsunade! What are you doing here? You know, I was just admiring the architecture of the building—"

"Never mind that, you old fool. Look at this!" She waved her lottery ticket in front of his face, grinning broadly.

He examined the ticket, and then looked at her oddly. "What about it?"

"This is the lottery ticket I bought the day I gave Naruto his mission. I _lost!_"

"Tsunade, you lose all the time. What does that have to do with anything?" The way she seemed to think the fact that she lost was important was disturbing him.

"I know I lose all the time. I only win when something bad is going to happen, Jiraiya. And I _lost._ Do you know what this means?"

Jiraiya looked confused for a second, and then seemed to grasp what she was telling him. Tsunade had lost on the day Naruto had been sent off, not won. Which meant nothing horrible had happened. Which meant Naruto… "The brat's alive!" he gasped. Kakashi's ninja dogs had picked up only the scents of Naruto and Sasuke, which meant Sasuke had to know where Naruto was; quite possibly, he was the one keeping him there.

Tsunade smiled at him. "Now, how should we go about getting him back?"

* * *

Sasuke stirred from his sleep and looked at the clock. It was time to get up and train with Orochimaru. Sasuke stifled a yawn and sat up. He walked over to his dresser and selected clothes, then walked over to the bathroom to shower and change.

Naruto woke up at the sound of running water. When he noticed the time, he decided to get up and get himself ready for the day: a day which, sadly, was going to be boring again. He was still stuck in this room alone while Sasuke trained. Naruto yawned loudly and rummaged through the chest of drawers that contained clothes that had been given to him. He found something he liked (unfortunately, nothing was orange) and pulled it out.

Sasuke walked out of the bathroom fully clothed and ready to leave. "Naruto, I'll probably be able to come back a little earlier today." He smirked. "Try not to miss me too much."

Naruto stuck out his tongue. "Yeah, yeah. I could say the same to you!"

Sasuke didn't reply, but he was smiling as he left.

Naruto glared at his back, but couldn't keep a smile from his face. He walked over to the bathroom with his clothes in his arms, and proceeded to shower.

* * *

Breathing heavily, Sasuke dropped his fighting stance and adopted a neutral pose. Orochimaru had just announced training to be over for the day. "I must say, Sasuke, you've been working much harder since Naruto-kun got here."

Sasuke didn't reply. He didn't like the way Orochimaru said Naruto's name; he lingered over the syllables, stressing them to create an effect Sasuke didn't trust. The sallow-skinned man was up to something.

"You know, you could always bring him to training with you." He smiled at some joke that Sasuke had yet to understand.

"Why would I do that?" he replied emotionlessly.

"Well, in a few months, I believe Naruto-kun and I will be spending a lot more time together. With you as my vessel, I don't think Naruto-kun will mind, but it would be polite to get to know him before then, don't you think?"

Sasuke walked away as if he hadn't heard the man, but was internally berating himself for not thinking of that. Why had he just assumed Orochimaru would send Naruto back to Konohagakure when Sasuke became his vessel? Of course he wouldn't do that! The idea was laughable. 'What am I going to do? If I don't get Naruto away from here, he'll become another one of Orochimaru's lab rats.' Sasuke found himself facing the same problem as he had the day before: living here without Naruto. The idea was even less appealing than it had been yesterday. 'I'm being selfish again. Naruto can't stay here.' He considered the options: condemn Naruto to life as a test subject, or send Naruto home and live out the rest of his very short life alone. 'There is one more option…'

Sasuke considered the possibility of simply doing away with the snake-like man. 'Yes…that would actually solve all my problems…' He walked back to the room he shared with Naruto, a slight smirk on his face. 'I've learned all I need to from that insufferable man; he can't teach me anything else.' Sasuke felt no regret in breaking his deal with Orochimaru. In fact, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction. He'd need to tell Naruto the plan. Once he killed Orochimaru, there would be only a few minutes before all the ninja in Sound would be after him. He would have to escape with Naruto before that happened.

Sasuke walked into the room and found Naruto languidly flipping through a book while sitting on his bed. Naruto was obviously not happy here, and he had made it quite clear that he despised Orochimaru…he'd be glad to hear what Sasuke was going to do. "Naruto, I have a plan, and I need you to listen very carefully…"

* * *

(1) Does anyone else use this word? Dictionary dot com defines it as: of an indefinitely large number in succession. I use that word a lot, but no one else I know does…

A/N: I both hate and love Orochimaru. He's the perfect bad guy! The next chapter will be out next week, probably on Sunday or Monday. I know that's kind of late, but my homework in history is staring to get heavy. We're about to start writing our research papers, so I have all the note cards and outlines to do… I don't like history. :(


	6. Voice of Reluctance

A/N: Here it is (finally!), chapter six! …yup, that's about all I have to say.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. Even if I did own him, I'd probably give him up to be able to read chapter 391 right now…

* * *

**Chapter six: Voice of Reluctance **

Naruto stood waiting anxiously by the door. Sasuke had left only a few minutes ago.

When Sasuke had revealed his plan to Naruto the previous night, Naruto had demanded that Sasuke let him help rid the world of Orochimaru once and for all. Sasuke had refused, and explained to Naruto why that wasn't possible. First of all, he didn't want Orochimaru anywhere near Naruto. Naruto had scowled at this, claiming it wasn't a valid reason. Sasuke had grudgingly agreed, but insisted that Naruto stay in the room because Naruto's presence at Sasuke's training would alert Orochimaru that something was going to happen. He would then call for more Sound ninja, making it extremely difficult to exterminate him. Naruto had reluctantly agreed to this, which was why he lingered restlessly in the room.

'Sasuke, where are you? How long can this take?' Naruto had to remain in the room until Sasuke ran back to get him. From there, they would flee the Sound Village, avoiding conflict unless necessary. They wanted to get as far away as fast as possible. Their path from there was undecided, and as of yet not discussed.

Naruto looked at the clock. Twelve minutes had passed since Sasuke had left the room. 'Come on, come on! He should be back by now!' Another minute passed in silence. Suddenly, Naruto heard a loud bang. 'What was that?' His question was answered a moment later as the door to the room opened, revealing a massive hole in the wall just beyond in. Naruto whirled his head to face the figure that shot through the door: Sasuke. "Why's there a hole in the wall?" Naruto cursed his stupid question. Now was _definitely _not the time for that. "Uh, never mind. Let's go!"

Sasuke wordlessly grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room. They sped along the corridors, Sasuke leading the way. Naruto quickly lost his sense of direction as they ran down identical hallways, sharply turning corners whenever Sasuke decided they should. 'I guess he knows his way around. This place is like a maze!'

Their progress was halted as five Sound ninja appeared ahead of them. They spotted Sasuke and Naruto, and reached them in a matter of seconds. No words were said as blows were exchanged. Sasuke knew Orochimaru had to have been discovered, dead, by now, so it was likely this wasn't the only group of enemies they would have to face.

As the last one was defeated, Sasuke reached for Naruto's hand again to lead him in the right direction as they continued their escape, uttering only a stressed "Let's go."

They set off again, Sasuke guiding Naruto through the labyrinth of passages.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke turned a corner, and were suddenly showered with light: the exit. Naruto whooped in joy and increased his pace so he reached the precious sunlight before Sasuke. "We're out!"

Sasuke caught up with him and smiled at his excitement, feeling a little exhilarated himself. "Yeah, but don't let your guard down yet. We may still run into some enemy ninja."

"Aww, don't be so depressing, Sasuke! Even if we do run into somebody, we'll just beat 'em up!" He grinned and added a 'dattebayo!' for good measure.

"Hn. Whatever." Sasuke replied, but smirked a little at Naruto's antics. They continued walking, not really knowing where they were going, and not caring as long as they put distance between them and their former dwelling. Sasuke still listened intently for anyone trying to sneak up on them, despite Naruto's confidence. Orochimaru's lair wasn't too far from the rest of the ninja village, so any assaults were highly likely. Luckily, it seemed they had already defeated all who would come after them. The easy silence between them was broken by Sasuke asking, "Naruto, where do we go from here?"

Naruto looked confused by his question. "What do you mean? We're going to Konohagakure, of course."

Sasuke shook his head. "Dobe, I can't go back there. I'm a missing-nin, remember? I'd be executed if I got anywhere near the village."

"What are you talking about? Of course they wouldn't execute you! The only reason I got here was because I was sent on a 'Sasuke retrieval' mission! They weren't going to have me bring you back just to kill you!"

Sasuke considered this bit of information. Naruto had a point. Still, he wasn't going to go back there. "Okay, but I'd at least be put on trial and imprisoned for my crimes. They won't forgive me for that so easily."

"What crimes? I wouldn't call—"

"But they _would._ Whether you like it or not, I'm officially a criminal in Konohagakure, and I'm not returning there." Sasuke said this in a tone that declared his position was final.

Naruto seethed at Sasuke's refusal, trying to think of a way to out-argue him. "_Fine_ then, teme, what do _you_ think we should do?!" he icily replied.

Sasuke sighed. "I really don't know. Look, let's think about it later, okay? I have some money, how about I buy you something to eat at the nearest town?" Sasuke knew Naruto would calm down if he bough him ramen. It was a dirty trick, but Sasuke really didn't want to argue with him at the moment. "I'll get you anything you want."

Naruto pouted and didn't respond.

"Even…ramen."

At this Naruto frowned in thought while looking at Sasuke. Finally, he muttered, "It better be some good ramen."

Sasuke smiled inwardly. 'Good. He's content…for now. I guess when my money runs out we'll be arguing about this again.'

Smiling, Naruto led the way with a new enthusiasm in his step. Sasuke followed pleased to have brightened Naruto's mood, if only temporarily.

* * *

Naruto let out a yawn and plopped down on the bed, smiling and patting his stomach in contentment. They had found a small town a few miles away from the Sound village, and had proceeded to procure food and lodgings for the night. While Naruto had run straight to the nearest ramen stand, Sasuke had decided to find something else to eat, something inexpensive.

Sasuke sighed and sat down on his own bed and mournfully looked at his significantly lighter wallet. The fare for one night at the inn had been reasonable, but Naruto's eating habits were not. "I still don't understand how you can possibly eat that much ramen." he said.

"Eh heh," he laughed, "I guess I forgot we had limited funds!"

Sasuke sighed again, deciding it was pointless to argue with Naruto about the ramen, as he bought the ramen to stop an argument in the first place. "Hn." was his only response before he let his mind wander.

The room they had rented was sparsely decorated, containing only two beds, a nightstand, and a single chair. The young woman at the front desk had been annoyingly chatty, and Sasuke had considered telling her that he and his boyfriend wanted a room with a single bed to deflect her relentless flirting, but decided Naruto wouldn't appreciate that. Though they'd admitted their feelings, neither really knew how to act as neither one had been in a relationship before.

Sasuke lay down in bed and looked over at Naruto, only to find the blond was already asleep, snoring lightly. Sasuke smirked and muttered a "Night, dobe." before closing his eyes. In his sleep, Naruto muttered something incoherent in response that resembled "Nnt t'me."

* * *

The next morning, Sasuke awoke to a groaning Naruto. He opened his eyes to see Naruto curled up on his bed, slightly flushed with his face contorted with pain. "Naruto! What's wrong?" he asked urgently.

Naruto didn't respond for a minute, which worried Sasuke, but he eventually managed so gasp "I feel horrible!" He groaned after saying this, as if to prove his point. His arms were wrapped around his middle, and his legs were bent to meet them. His brow was dampened with a few beads of sweat. All in all, he looked terrible. 'I can't remember the last time I felt this bad!' he thought.

"What do you mean? Do you feel ill?" Sasuke noticed how Naruto was clutching his abdomen, and how his face shone with perspiration.

Naruto nodded in response. "Yeah, my stomach feels like I swallowed acid!"

Sasuke decided against reminding Naruto that there was acid in everyone's stomach, instead trying to think about what might have caused Naruto's pain. "Hey, dobe, you don't think you got sick from eating that ramen last night, do you?"

Naruto looked shocked. "Of course not! I've been eating ramen all my life, ramen would never hurt me!"

Sasuke grimaced at the reminder of how long Naruto's bad eating habits had been going on, but explained his previous comment. "Dobe, I mean that ramen specifically. That place you dragged me to looked kind of…unclean. I tried to tell you, but you'd ordered two bowls before I'd even said anything. You probably caught some germ."

The sad look on Naruto's face was almost comical. Sasuke knew what thoughts were running through Naruto's head: 'Ramen betrayed me!'

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke had planned on getting an early start, but Naruto's sickness delayed them. By the time they had checked out of the inn and set off from the town, it was already midday. The plan was to continue heading in the opposite direction from Otogakure, staying in another inn in a different town whenever it got dark. Currently, they were walking down a deserted road.

The conversation had been light and friendly, but Naruto decided it was time to talk to Sasuke about the issue at hand: where they were going. "Sasuke, I think it's best if we go back to Konohagakure."

Sasuke grimaced. He had hoped to avoid this conversation for a little while longer. "Naruto, I've already explained why I can't do that. They'd throw me in prison the moment I set foot inside those gates, for who knows how long."

Naruto sighed, trying to remain calm. "Okay, teme, you've said that before, but you never answered me when I asked you where _you_ thought we should go."

Sasuke considered the options. The list of places Naruto would be welcomed was much longer than the list of places Sasuke could go. The energetic blond seemed to make a friend out of everyone. If Naruto were alone, he could go to the Sand Village and convince Gaara not to tell the Hokage he was there. Unfortunately, the Kazekage wasn't exactly fond of Sasuke, and would no doubt give him similar treatment to what he could expect in Konohagakure. On the other hand, Sasuke didn't have many places he could go. Anywhere he had visited while with Orochimaru was out of the question now that he'd killed the man.

"Well?" Naruto asked impatiently. Sasuke's silence was getting on his nerves.

"Hold on. I'm thinking." Sasuke's mind raced. He needed somewhere that both he and Naruto could go; preferably somewhere that wasn't a hidden ninja village. As Sasuke a missing-nin, most ninja would feel obligated to turn him in to the Hokage. Was there somewhere where both he and Naruto knew people, people who would be willing to shelter them both? He thought about the places he had been with Naruto while they were on a team together, and suddenly it clicked.

"Naruto, how would you feel about looking up some old friends?"

Naruto looked at him. "Go on."

Sasuke proceeded to tell Naruto his suggestion, silently praying it would work.

* * *

A/N: Blarg, I am dead. Sorry this is so late, I had an academic crisis (too much homework) followed by an awkward personal crisis. Actually, I had so little sleep after I finally finished my homework load that I started hallucinating…a picture winked at me. 


	7. Voices of Distant Memories

**A/N:** Hello, dear readers! I'd like to introduce you to my new friend, Irony. Irony, would you like to tell them what you did? Oh, I forgot, Irony is a silent killer. Well, I'll tell you. As soon as I posted the last chapter, my stomach started hurting like Naruto's did after he ate that ramen. I literally felt his pain. I wonder, is this a sign? Just to be safe, I won't be writing a deathfic anytime soon.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto (though I apparently share in his torment)

* * *

**Chapter seven: Voices of Distant Memories**

The day was pleasantly warm when Naruto and Sasuke set off to seek safe lodgings. They had spent the night at another inn the previous night, after Naruto had eagerly agreed to the plan Sasuke had proposed. They set out early the next morning, and made great progress. After only a few hours, they noticed familiar landmarks and knew they had to be getting close. When they passed over a bridge, Naruto was practically skipping in his excitement. Sasuke smiled at him, but found himself getting a little excited. 'Perhaps his enthusiasm is contagious.' he thought. "Dobe, I thought your stomach still hurt?" Naruto had claimed earlier that morning that his stomach still bothered him, but he certainly wasn't acting like he was in pain.

Naruto looked shocked, and then dramatically clutched at his stomach. "Teme! Why did you have to remind me! It stopped hurting because I stopped thinking about it, but now you messed up my strategy!"

Sasuke sighed. "Only you would come up with something so ridiculous. How could that possibly work?"

"It does work! Or, it_ did _until _some_body reminded me!" Naruto fumed.

Sasuke could see he wasn't going to win this argument. "Fine, whatever. I'm sure you'll forget again if we keep going."

"You bet! And I'll feel better when I forget, too!" Naruto proclaimed, trying to prove to Sasuke that he was right.

"Hn." was the only reply Sasuke would give Naruto.

The pair carried on walking on the nearly deserted road in an easy silence, Naruto occasionally glancing at some landmark in recognition. "Hey, Sasuke, isn't going there through the woods faster?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke thought for a minute. "Yes, I guess so." he confirmed.

"Alright, then, let's get going!" Naruto said a little too loudly, grabbing Sasuke's hand and pulling him into the forest next to the path. He tugged Sasuke in the direction he assumed their destination was in, but stopped short when Sasuke tugged in another direction. "Teme, what are you doing?"

"You're going the wrong way."

"Er, I knew that! I was just testing you! Eh-heh heh…" he laughed nervously. Naruto discretely walked a little bit behind Sasuke, so he didn't accidentally start walking in the wrong direction again. Obviously, Sasuke knew where he was going.

After they had been walking for a while, Naruto spotted a familiar landmark in the maze of trees. "Hey, Sasuke, look at those trees! Now I know where we are! Uh, not that I didn't know before! Of course, I knew all along!"

Sasuke nodded at Naruto's claim. "Of course." Sasuke glanced at the trees. They were covered in marks from a few feet above the bases all the way to the tops. Sasuke briefly recalled the last time he had been here with Naruto.

Catching the friendly sarcasm in Sasuke's voice, Naruto pouted, scrunching up his eyes and sticking out his bottom lip. "Teme!" he muttered. Now that he knew the way, Naruto stopped following Sasuke and started walking faster, leading the way to their destination. When he saw a tree that looked like it had been repeatedly mauled by some large blade, he knew they were almost there. "Ah, Sasuke, won't they be surprised to see us? I wonder how they've been." Naruto turned his head to face Sasuke as he spoke, ignoring where he was going.

Seeing where Naruto was headed, Sasuke tried to warn him. "Ah, Naruto—"

It was too late. Naruto crashed into something—or rather, some_one_—and fell backwards onto the ground. "Ouch!"

The person Naruto had run into fell to the ground, too. "Hey, you should watch where you're—Naruto?!"

Naruto looked up to see who was talking to him. Before him was a young man with dark eyes and spiky black hair. "Oh, Inari! We were just coming to visit you guys!"

Hearing 'we,' Inari looked up to see who else was there. "Oh, Sasuke, you too. Where are Sakura and your guys' teacher?"

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other quickly before Sasuke replied "They're not with us this time."

"Oh. That's a shame. But, hey! Mom and Grandpa don't know you're here! Let's go!" he exclaimed loudly.

"Yeah!" responded Naruto equally loudly.

* * *

"Hey Mom, Gramps, you'll never guess who's here!" called Inari as he stepped into his house, removing his shoes.

"Inari? You brought someone home?" came a questioning voice as an elderly man stepped into view. "Who is—the brat and his friend!"

"Father? Who's here?" A dark haired woman also entered the room. "Oh, Naruto and Sasuke! Are Sakura and Kakashi-san here also?"

"Nope, they said they were alone." Inari offered helpfully.

"Yes, the two of us are…traveling, and we hoped to stay here for a little bit—if that's okay with you, that is." Sasuke explained. 'I hope they don't ask too many questions. It'll mean trouble if they somehow know that I left Konohagakure and that Naruto is technically missing right now.'

"It would be a pleasure, and I'm sure Inari will enjoy the company!" answered Tsunami cheerfully.

"Yeah! This'll be fun!" cheered Inari.

'Good. We'll stay here for as short a time as we can, just until we can think of somewhere else to go. Who knows how long that will take.' Sasuke thought.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama."

"Yes, you have something to report?" She inspected the ANBU nin before her. His posture seemed anxious, though Tsunade could not tell for sure because he hid his face with his mask.

"Yes, and I think this may interest you greatly." He pulled out a mission report scroll and stood very straight as he read, "While returning from their mission, our squad observed two figures of interest, both young males. One was pale and dark haired, while the other was tanned and blond. We have reason to believe they were none other than Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. Upon sighting them, we determined them to be heading in the direction of the Land of Waves. No further actions were taken, and none have been informed of this besides yourself."

To say Tsunade was stunned was an understatement. "You found him? Are you sure?" After confiding to Jiraiya her belief that Naruto was not dead, she had warned all ANBU to be on the lookout for him, just in case.

"We cannot be certain, as we did not intercept them, but there is a very high probability that it was those two. Do you have new orders concerning this event?"

She thought for a minute. "Yes. Gather your team, and one other, and report back here immediately. I will then give you orders for a new mission regarding this. You are dismissed."

The ANBU nin took off to comply with her instructions.

'Don't worry, Naruto…you'll be home soon. I swear it."

* * *

"Ooh, this is delicious!"

"I'm glad you like it, Naruto, but don't burn yourself—it's still hot!" Tsunami warned gently.

The five inhabitants of Tazuna's house sat around the table, merrily conversing over dinner.

"I wouldn't worry. He wolfs down scolding hot ramen like it's nothing."

"Ah, Sasuke-teme! You're so mean! Ouch!"

"Is something wrong, dobe?" Sasuke asked, concerned from his exclamation of pain that had no apparent cause.

"Yeah, you said ramen!" Naruto accused, holding his stomach. "You reminded me again!"

Sasuke was taken aback. "You mean you still don't feel better?"

"What's this about ramen?" Tazuna asked.

"Naruto ate some bad ramen last night, and it made him feel sick. He claims that forgetting about it makes him feel better."

"It does!" interjected Naruto. "And the teme just reminded me about it. Again!" Miffed that Sasuke _still_ didn't believe in his flawless methods, Naruto silently vowed to avoid looking at Sasuke for the rest of dinner. As his tactics went unnoticed, he eventually forgot about both his promise to himself and his painful stomach, and eventually dinner continued on lightheartedly.

* * *

Bright sunlight streamed in through a window and brought Naruto to consciousness in the morning. He rubbed his eyes blearily and groggily looked around. Sasuke's futon was beside his, but it was empty. It didn't surprise Naruto, as he had already learned that the raven was an early riser. Letting out a yawn, Naruto got up and walked over towards the door to the room, planning on wandering the house until he found Sasuke.

He didn't have far to go. Sasuke was walking in the direction of the room, apparently on his way to wake up Naruto, who he had presumed was still asleep. "G'morning, Sasuke." he sleepily greeted.

"Oh, Naruto, you're up. I was just coming to get you." Sasuke said as a means of greeting.

"Did you want something?"

"Yes, I wanted to ask you something. Would you like to visit Haku's grave today?"

Naruto's thoughts flashed quickly to the young man he had met and befriended on his first visit to the Land of Waves. Haku had taught him the importance of fighting for those who are important to you, a lesson he had carried with him and even taught to others in the short time since he learned it. Haku was truly an important person, someone who had earned Naruto's respect. "Of course." came his heartfelt response.

The pair soon found themselves in the woods and faced with two wooden crosses, one in front of a large sword and the other draped with a white sash. Naruto approached Haku's grave and knelt down respectfully, silently offering thanks for the wisdom he imparted upon Naruto and praying for his spirit's eternal peace. He stayed like that for a while, but eventually offered prayers at Zabuza's grave. The swordsman had been their enemy, but he had also been the one Haku died for. Sasuke was just as silent and respectful as Naruto, and marveled in the change from the blonde's normally loud and obnoxious behavior.

Eventually the two of them left the graves and returned to Tazuna's house. Tazuna himself was there to greet them at the door. "Naruto, does your stomach still hurt?" he asked.

Clutching his abdomen, Naruto shouted, "Gah, now you're reminding me, too!"

Laughing, Tazuna apologized. "About that…I just found a cure-all medicine that I'm sure will make you feel better! It's a little bit old, but I'm sure it's still good. I've used it plenty of times!"

"Alright! Where is it?" Naruto asked enthusiastically.

"Uh, Naruto, I'm not sure that's the best idea, you—"

"Right here." Tazuna extended his hand and offered Naruto a pill that looked harmless.

Naruto accepted the proffered pill and swallowed it. A few seconds passed. "Hey! I feel better!" he exclaimed. "Er, wait. I feel kinda…" He closed his eyes and started to fall.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted as Tazuna looked shocked. Sasuke managed to catch Naruto before he fell to the ground, then shifted him so he was holding him bridal style. "Just how old is that medicine, old man?!" Sasuke yelled at Tazuna.

"Really, it's not that old, only—oh. I guess it expired a while ago." he said apologetically.

"Great! Now he's even sicker!" sighed Sasuke exasperatedly. "Let's…take him inside. We can figure out what to do when he wakes up."

Tazuna agreed, and he moved out of the way so Sasuke could pass. Sasuke carried Naruto to the futon where he had slept the night before and laid him down. He watched him anxiously. 'Darn it, why does Naruto always get hurt? Come on, Naruto, wake up soon!'

Far away, back in Konohagakure, a team had gathered and was preparing to leave.

* * *

A/N: Why is this out so late? Err…I can't think of any excuses. I simply procrastinate. I promise I'm not going to just stop writing this, though (even if someone begs me to stop!). Forgive me? By the way, how in the world do you reply to reviews? I still can't figure it out, though I know you can do it because someone replied to a review I left and I got an e-mail about it…

Happy Easter, everyone!


	8. Voice of Accusations

A/N: Computer broke. Inspiration died while waiting for it to be fixed. Found new inspiration.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

* * *

**Chapter eight: Voice of Accusations **

Four ANBU quickly and silently left through Konohagakure's gates. They sped swiftly through the trees, avoiding the main path as they made their way to the Land of Waves. It was in the early evening; they planned to arrive before midday.

* * *

Sasuke paced anxiously back and forth in the room a few times, and then sat down quickly in a chair. He glanced at Naruto, who hadn't changed since Sasuke had looked at him last, about fifteen seconds ago. Sasuke sighed and rested his head in his hand, his elbow supported by the armrest of the chair. He had hardly slept at all last night. He had been too worried about Naruto to get more than a few hours of sleep. The sun was getting brighter as the morning wore on, but Sasuke was still restless despite his sleeplessness. He couldn't help but feel worried. The silence was disturbing, unsettling.

The house was empty except for the two boys. Tazuna had left the house early in the morning, saying that he wouldn't be back until much later because he had work to do. Tsunami left a few hours later to take Inari to visit a friend.

Naruto tossed and turned under the blanket. His face was flushed, feverish. The symptoms weren't too severe, but Sasuke was anxious about Naruto being sick at a time like this. They were technically in hiding from both Sound and Konoha until further notice, so to be sick was to be vulnerable. To be sick and stuck in the same place, defenseless, for over twenty-four hours was undeniably worse. Sasuke sighed again. 'Naruto…hurry up and recover.'

* * *

The trees flew by the group of ANBU as they raced towards their destination. The only sound was of shoes lightly tapping trees as they swiftly landed and bounded off again. No one spoke. The group of four seemed to exist as one entity, moving in unison and needing no instructions.

The four-man team traveled the most direct path, meaning it rarely used roads. They had crossed over a few on the way, silent and unnoticed by any travelers. They advanced on their target with deadly precision.

* * *

Tsunade couldn't concentrate. She knew the ANBU were not due to arrive for a while yet, but she couldn't help looking up hopefully every time someone entered her office to see if it was Naruto. She was so certain that he was going to be okay, but her mind continuously supplied her with reasons the mission could fail. What if Sasuke escaped with Naruto? What if he killed Naruto before the ANBU arrived? Or when the ANBU arrived? She told herself again and again that Naruto would be returned home safely within a few hours, but convincing herself was impossible.

Empty sake bottles littered her desk, a surprising amount from that very day. Stacks of unfinished paperwork obscured her view of the door. Work was more tiresome that usual today. Her mind ran in circles. She would start reading a document on her desk, only to find herself once again trying to convince herself that the ANBU would safely recover Naruto.

Tsunade sighed. "I need more sake."

* * *

The bridge was in view. The group had only to cross it to enter the village. It wouldn't be long now before their mission was accomplished.

They sped up in anticipation of their fast approaching achievement. Eventually, the group entered the villages and the houses spread out before them. The pre-mission briefing had let them in on the most probable location of their target: the house of the old bridge builder. The team reached the residence and moved in slowly, scouting the area while avoiding being noticed.

* * *

Naruto continued to sleep fitfully as Sasuke watched over him. Sasuke stood up from his chair and reached out to feel Naruto's forehead. The skin felt unnaturally hot under his hand, a sign that Naruto's fever still hadn't decreased. Sasuke moved his cool hand down the side of Naruto's face, lightly caressing a flushed cheek. Naruto mumbled something incoherent and leaned into the touch. Sasuke froze, waiting anxiously to see if Naruto would wake. When he did not, Sasuke let out his held breath in a sigh. He hung his head, and then glanced over at Naruto's face.

Naruto's eyelashes delicately rested on his cheeks. His face looked calm, an appreciated break after all the tossing and turning Naruto had been doing. His lips were slightly parted from his earlier mumbling, and his cheeks were dusted with a pink tinge from his fever. 'Even when he's sick, Naruto looks so…' Sasuke's thought trailed off as he leaned in closer. Sasuke's lips were mere inches from Naruto's when he considered his actions. Should he…?

Sasuke's mind was made up for him when, seconds later, he heard a tapping of light footfalls. He straightened up and turned around quickly and was faced with the sight of four ANBU. Cursing himself for believing he and Naruto would be safe and unnoticed here, Sasuke reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out a kunai. He paused, waiting for the other ninja to act first. He didn't have to wait long.

"Uchiha Sasuke. We are under orders to arrest you. Will you come willingly, or will we have to use force?"

Sasuke frowned. "What are the charges against me?" he asked. 'Might as well see how bad things are; see if I have any chance to avoid too much trouble.'

The ANBU closest to him, whose mask was bird-like, replied, "You are charged with desertion, multiple charges of attempted murder, assault, and abduction. And, judging by the state of Uzumaki, poisoning," he paused for effect, and then repeated, "Will you come with us willingly?"

Sasuke was silent as he considered his situation. On one hand, he could attempt to flee. He didn't like his chances of actual escape, as it would be four against one. He also didn't like the idea of leaving Naruto. He could attempt to reason with the ANBU, and explain that he had not mean to hurt Naruto the last time, and that Naruto's sickness was not his fault, but Naruto was in no state to confirm his story, and he didn't think they would believe a missing nin. He had only one more option. "I'll go willingly."

* * *

A/N: There! Chapter 8! The story's almost over! If you've stuck with me through all of my lateness, you have the patience of a saint.

I know it's shorter than the others, but I really just want to post it ASAP.


	9. Voices of Damnation and Defense

A/N: Not much to say. It's almost over. Enjoy the penultimate chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own it.

* * *

**Chapter nine: Voices of Damnation and Defense **

Sasuke sat in a dark room, bound to a chair and surrounded by ANBU. He and Naruto had both been brought to Konohagakure directly from Tazuna's house in the Land of Waves. Once they reached the gates of the city, however, they had been separated.

It had been just after dawn when the group had arrived, so Sasuke's transport to the ANBU headquarters had been swift through the empty streets.

Naruto had been taken in nearly the opposite direction, probably to the Konoha Hospital. He still hadn't woken up yet.

Sasuke looked up at the ANBU from under his long bangs, hiding his scrutiny. There were half a dozen that he could see, and all were facing him. He suspected a few were behind him, too. None of them had spoken to him. The silence was intimidating to say the least. Sasuke returned their silence, opting to keep to his thoughts instead of attempting to communicate. It's not like they would listen to anything he said. He was the enemy here. He had been found with one of their comrades, who had been missing for weeks and discovered unconscious. The situation definitely wasn't in his favor. Nothing he could say would convince them of his innocence in the situation. Well, he couldn't be called _innocent_, really. More like 'less implicated.'

He had been sitting in silence for what felt like hours. No doubt somewhere in the village someone was in an uproar about what should be done with him.

He wondered what was happening to Naruto, if he had woken up yet. They would probably be able to heal him quickly. Sasuke just hoped it was in time to vouch for the story he would have to tell the ANBU. 'They'll probably want to question me. It'll be best if I just tell the straight truth, not leaving anything out…except perhaps my exact reason for taking Naruto. They don't need to know how I feel about him. I don't think they'd even believe me if I told them, anyways…' His thoughts wandered vaguely for some time.

'What happens now?' he wondered. 'Shouldn't they interrogate me? They'll probably want to charge me for my crimes.' He didn't have to wait long to find out, as just then the door to his right opened and another ANBU, this one presumably a captain, entered the room and addressed him.

"Uchiha Sasuke…"

* * *

Everything was white. Naruto reached out his hand to see if he could touch it, but his fingers met with nothing but air. He blinked and rubbed his eyes; everything came into focus.

Naruto found himself lying on a worn-out old couch in a bright room with white walls, staring up at the ceiling. He quickly recognized it—the Hokage's office in Konohagakure.

Naruto sat up, and the blanket that had covered him fell and gathered at his waist. He swung his legs onto the floor and stood up—a little too quickly. "Ah!" he gasped quietly as, arms outstretched, he tried to gain his balance when he wobbled.

The door opened, and Tsunade walked into the room. She seemed distracted and quite a bit flustered. When she noticed Naruto standing slightly precariously, her face changed and she rushed over. "Naruto, you're awake!" she exclaimed as she steadied him. When she was certain he wasn't going to fall over, she embraced him.

Naruto cringed a bit at the hug—he felt weak and sore.

"Naruto, you shouldn't be up so quickly. You're still a bit sick. How are you feeling? Do you need something?"

As Tsunade fussed over him, something prickled at the back of his mind. Sasuke. Sasuke hadn't wanted to go to Konohagakure. Why was he here now? How did he get here? Where was Sasuke? Naruto looked into Tsunade's face. "Sasuke…?" he broke off, not knowing how to phrase his question.

Tsunade's face darkened. "Him," she said in a cold tone. "Don't worry, Naruto, we're dealing with him."

That statement disturbed Naruto. What was it that Sasuke had said—had it only been a few weeks ago? Sasuke had been against returning to Konohagakure, said he would be charged as a missing nin, jailed even. "What…what exactly do you mean?" he asked, afraid of the answer.

Tsunade looked at him, a smile on her face that was meant to be comforting as she said, "He is to be punished for his crimes. His execution is scheduled for tomorrow morning. He'll be kept in a secure holding cell until then."

"No!" Naruto howled. His chest felt tight. 'They can't do this!' he thought.

Tsunade was startle, but quickly recovered. "Naruto, I know he was your friend, but look at what he's done since he left, to you in particular," she soothed.

"No, Tsunade, you don't understand!" Naruto practically shouted. He was so frantic he unconsciously used her real name. "Sasuke hasn't done _anything_ to me—well, nothing _intentionally_—at least, not _recently—_"

Tsunade glared at him furiously. "How can you say that? I've had first hand accounts of what that forest clearing looked like, the one where you had your last run-in with that Uchiha. Spattered with blood—_your _blood—ground torn up, place destroyed—and you're telling me that he hasn't _done_ anything to you?"

She drew in a sharp breath. "Naruto, no doubt your mind is muddled because of your recent illness. You must be in shock, too, what with being hurt again by one who used to be a comrade. Now, Uchiha Sasuke is going to be executed tomorrow. He is spending the night in an ANBU holding cell, and, eventually, you _will_ understand this."

She exhaled her breath calmingly. "Brat, I understand how you must feel," she said, slipping back into using her favorite nickname for Naruto, "But, you have to understand how we all felt while you were missing. For a while, we were sure you were dead." She glanced back at him.

All through Tsunade's rant, Naruto stood frozen in horror. Sasuke was going to be executed, and Tsunade wouldn't let him explain. 'Well, I'll have to _make_ her listen! There's no way I'll Sasuke die because of me!' Naruto took a deep breath to calm himself. It wouldn't help his case to appear irrational. "Look, Sasuke hurt me once, but he won't now. He's changed. He killed Orochimaru, escaped with me from Sound, and looked took care of me for months. He's not who he was when he joined Orochimaru. He—"

"Naruto, I don't want to hear whatever lies he's fed you. Now, I order you—"

Naruto growled inwardly as he was interrupted. 'So much for being rational.' he thought. To hell with rationality. He never was a very rational person, anyways. He interrupted Tsunade with a yell, "I demand that you take me to see Sasuke!"

Tsunade was stunned. She hadn't been expecting such an emotional outburst from Naruto, who had seemed so calm just a moment before. She stood frozen for a moment. "Naruto," she started in a soft voice intended to soothe him. "You know I can't do that. As I've said, he's—"

"I don't care about that! I have to see him before you have him _murdered!_" He full out glared at her, his fists clenched at his side. Gone was the sickly feeling of a few minutes ago, replaced by a burning intensity.

Tsunade looked at the fuming boy, the young man she considered a younger brother, a son almost. She couldn't stand to have him hate her. "Alright. I will take you to see him. But, I want you to know I don't approve."

* * *

The ANBU captain addressed him somberly. "Uchiha Sasuke. It has been decided that you—"

"Don't you dare!" a loud voice cut in.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Naruto?" he asked, bewildered.

Sure enough, the blond ninja came into the room, forcefully pushing the ANBU captain out of his way. Before the ANBU lining the walls could move to stop him, a woman's voice called out.

"Let him be. I'm allowing him to be here, for now." Tsunade walked in. Sasuke recognized her, though he had rarely seen the woman. She still looked as young as when he had seen her last.

Naruto practically tackled Sasuke, who would have fallen over if he hadn't been tied to a chair. "Sasuke! She won't listen to me! They want to kill you!"

Sasuke gasped. They weren't even waiting for an investigation before deciding on his guilt? They wouldn't listen to what he had to say? And worse, they weren't listening to Naruto. This looked bad. His one hope was gone. If Naruto's support was useless, then he was doomed. "Naruto," he started, but then broke off. He didn't know what to say. It's not your fault? Don't worry? That wouldn't be much comfort to him.

"Don't worry Sasuke, I won't let them touch you." Naruto's face was right in front of Sasuke's. His words were confident, but his voice shook and Sasuke could see his eyes tearing up. Sasuke wanted to hold him, to tell him once again that he loved him. As things stood, it didn't seem likely that he'd get another chance. Sasuke could feel his eyes starting to water. It hurt. He'd finally confessed to Naruto, gotten a chance at a life with him, but it had been taken away.

"Naruto," his voice was low, his words intended only for the blonde but no doubt overheard by the attentive ANBU, "There's nothing you can do. They won't listen. They've already decided my fate. We have to accept—"

"No! I won't accept it, I can't!" He raised his voice and turned around to address everyone else in the room, hovering protectively in front of Sasuke. "You can't kill him! Sasuke is—Sasuke is—" Naruto shuddered, tears streaming down his face. He wiped them away angrily.

Tsunade moved forward, intending to comfort him. "Naruto, come here." She opened her arms, meaning to pull him into a hug.

"No! Stay back! I won't let you hurt Sasuke! I _love_ him!"

Tsunade froze. The room fell into silence, save for Naruto's continuing sobs.

Sasuke couldn't speak. Naruto had just confessed in front of the Hokage and a good number of ANBU. 'I love him…I love him so much. I don't want to lose him! If he feels for me even half of what I feel for him, he'll be devastated if I die. I can't do that to him!' His tears began to fall. "Naruto, I—" he couldn't continue, too overwhelmed with emotion.

Naruto wordlessly turned and threw his arms securely around Sasuke's neck, bringing their faces inches apart. He hesitated. Sasuke leaned forwards as much as he could, closing the space between them and covering Naruto's lips with his own. The chaste kiss quickly became more passionate as Sasuke pushed his tongue into Naruto's mouth. Naruto whimpered and hugged him tighter.

This kiss ended as quickly as it began. Naruto pulled back, cheeks wet with tears and lips moist with his and Sasuke's saliva. He looked into Sasuke's eyes. "Bastard. Don't you dare give up. You can't just let them kill you." His voice was quiet, the words almost breathed onto Sasuke's lips.

Sasuke shivered. 'I can't just do nothing. I have to live. For Naruto.' He nodded slightly to Naruto to show he would try, then turned his face toward the ANBU captain, who stood by the door, apparently frozen in shock. "I know I've hurt Naruto before, but I didn't mean to this time. I love Naruto. I could never hurt him again. I have not forgotten my past actions, I know that I am guilty of many things, but…I don't think my actions merit the death sentence." He looked firmly at the captain, who seemed to recover somewhat upon being addressed so directly.

No one said anything. It seemed they were still considering the new turn of events. 'Well,' thought Sasuke, 'At least they're considering changing their minds. That means there's hope.'

The captain turned toward Tsunade. "Hokage-sama, if you would step outside, we could discuss this matter with you further."

Tsunade nodded, still in a daze, and turned to leave with him.

"Wait, old hag!" Naruto called out. He was standing now, facing her determinedly. "I can't live without Sasuke. You have to know that."

She stared at him shocked for a moment before exiting the room.

* * *

Tsunade was stunned. What was that? Naruto loved Sasuke? As in _love_, not just brotherly love? When did that happen? She mused over Naruto's final words to her. 'Can't live without Sasuke.' She was shaken by the implications. 'Does he mean he _won't_ live without Sasuke? Surely he can't mean—Naruto would never—does he mean he would kill himself?' She shuddered. 'Is his love really that deep?' She thought about her options. Sasuke couldn't go unpunished for his crimes. Her choice was clear.

She reentered the holding cell without consulting with the ANBU. This was her choice in the end, after all. Naruto and Sasuke looked at her hopefully and nervously as she entered the room. "I have decided."

* * *

A/N: Don't you just _hate_ cliffhangers?


	10. Voices Speaking of the Future

**Disclaimer: **Nope. Still no.

* * *

_Recap:_

_Sasuke couldn't go unpunished for his crimes. Her choice was clear. _

_She reentered the holding cell without consulting with the ANBU. This was her choice in the end, after all. Naruto and Sasuke looked at her hopefully and nervously as she entered the room. "I have decided."_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter ten: Voices Speaking of the Future**

Tsunade looked at the young pair. Naruto was anxious and clinging to Sasuke as best as he could while Sasuke was restrained. He stared as Tsunade walked in, nervous but hopeful. Sasuke, on the other hand, was cool, practically radiating sangfroid. All traces of the tears he had shed earlier were gone. He gazed evenly at Tsunade as she walked in to announce his fate.

The Godaime Hokage paused uncertainly after she shut the door, unsure if she was making the right decision. Regaining her nerve, she turned away from the door to once again face the boys. Naruto's eyes drew her own. He looked so helpless, so vulnerable. 'Am I doing the right thing? I only took a few minutes to consider—no. This is for the best. There is no other option.'

She pulled her gaze away from Naruto and brought it to rest on Sasuke. She met his eyes. Her face was stern. "I have made my decision. Crimes like yours generally merit execution." Naruto made a desperate sound of protest, which Tsunade cut off by sharply continuing. "_However_, I believe your other actions—most notable the disposal of one of Konohagakure's most dangerous enemies—deserve consideration. I will make an exception in this case." She paused to let her words take effect. "Uchiha Sasuke, I exile you from Konohagakure. ANBU will escort you to the gates at the earliest convenience. Do not return."

Tsunade turned back to Naruto. He looked heartbroken, his blue eyes wide with shock. She smiled lightly. "Naruto, I believe you have had quite a trial recently. You deserve a vacation. Why don't you leave the village for a while? You can leave today. At the earliest convenience, of course."

Naruto looked puzzled for a second. Suddenly, realization struck. He gasped and ran to embrace Tsunade. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I—" His voice broke. Tears of joy ran down his face. His mouth was stretched in a wide grin.

One of the ANBU still stationed in the room silently approached Sasuke. He leaned down and released Sasuke from the chakra-enforced ropes that bound him, afterwards moving back to his place between two others along the wall.

When Naruto released her, Tsunade became serious again. "Naruto, you have to understand the situation here. Only the ANBU, Jiraiya, and I know that you are alive. Everyone else knows only of your disappearance, and the general opinion is that Sasuke killed you. The village is not ready for his return at this time. They would be too suspicious; he would never be trusted. The best route is for you and Sasuke to leave the village for now. I'll announce to the village that you might still be alive. You can return sometime after that. We'll have to work out a story." Here, she turned to address the ANBU who continued to stand silently along the walls. "News of Uchiha Sasuke's capture will, of course, never leave this room." The ANBU all murmured their assent.

Naruto called Tsunade's attention back to himself. "You said Sasuke can't return to the village now. Does that mean he can return later?" The idea of being so permanently separated from Sasuke was far from appealing. He'd only get to see Sasuke every few months while out on missions, if he was lucky.

Tsunade took on a mischievous air again, like she had when she had suggested a vacation for Naruto. "Well, as no one will know of Sasuke's capture, I don't feel it is necessary to inform them of his exile. And, if Sasuke were to return to the village at a later time—under the rule of the next Hokage, for instance—I don't think there is much I could do about it. Not even if that Hokage were to give Sasuke a full pardon for his crimes."

Naruto beamed at her and said, "Old hag, you're the best!" He looked back at Sasuke, who stood a few feet behind him.

Sasuke was smiling lightly. He looked Tsunade right in the eye. "Thank you. I don't deserve such kind treatment, nor did I expect it."

Tsunade looked back at him silently for a moment, considering him. "I didn't do it for you. But, you're welcome.

"Alright, you boys come with me." She turned to face the door and started walking without checking to see is Sasuke and Naruto were following her. She exited the holding cell and entered the main room. "Hey, you," she called to an ANBU she saw walking by.

The ANBU stopped, startled at being addressed so suddenly by his Hokage. "Yes, Lady Tsunade?" he asked.

"Bring me two packs filled with supplies for a standard mission, and two bedrolls. After you deliver them, you are dismissed." She watched him walk off quickly, and then turned to find Naruto and Sasuke waiting by the closed door to the holding cell. Naruto was standing a bit protectively in front of Sasuke, as if afraid the next ANBU to walk by would try to arrest Sasuke again. He watched warily as several walked by.

Sasuke noticed Tsunade's attention was back on him and Naruto. "When will we be leaving?" he asked, bringing Naruto to look back at him for a second before swiveling his gaze to see Tsunade respond.

She glanced out of a window and noticed how dark the sky was getting. Naruto hadn't woken up until the late afternoon, and everything that had happened had taken a surprisingly long time. It would be midnight soon enough. "In a few hours, I think. Fewer people will be out, and the dark will conceal you from anyone still on the streets."

The ANBU who Tsunade had sent after the packs returned and set the items down by Tsunade. She thanked him, and he left.

Tsunade looked intently from Naruto to Sasuke. "Now, let's discuss where you two will go."

* * *

_Naruto was lying in an uncomfortable bed, covered in stiff sheets. He couldn't see, couldn't move his hands, and his chest ached. In fact, everything ached. He could bear the pain, but it throbbed, making concentrating hard. He sensed someone shifting at his side and froze. He had to pretend to be asleep while he assessed the situation. He listened intently, and caught the quiet breathing of the being. _

"_Naruto, I'm so sorry. Please, Naruto, please wake up. I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought I was attacking a clone. Please Naruto, wake up. Please. Naruto, I love you. Please, wake up, Naruto." _

"Naruto, wake up."

Naruto groaned and rolled over, turning his back to Sasuke. "No." he whined. "I'm sleeping. Go away." He tried to remember his dream. It had been so strange. He thought it had something to do with Sasuke, but he couldn't be sure. 'Maybe if I fall back asleep really soon, I can have the same dream again.' It didn't work. He could feel himself slowly waking up despite his wishes.

Sasuke chuckled and leaned over Naruto's bed. "Come on, dobe. I'll buy you ramen for breakfast if you get up now."

Naruto was completely still and silent for a moment. He considered his choices. He sighed. "Fine, fine. I'm getting up." He rolled over and slowly got out of bed. Groggily rubbing his eyes, he yawned widely. He looked at Sasuke. "Lemme get dressed," he mumbled.

It had been over a week since they had returned to and subsequently left Konohagakure. Tsunade had directed them to stay at a small village a few miles away. None of Konohagakure's ninja were on missions near the village, and Tsunade promised to watch for missions in the area so she could assign them to ANBU or warn Sasuke and Naruto beforehand. There hadn't been any problems so far.

Naruto and Sasuke had been able to pass off as normal travelers. It really was like a vacation. They explored the town a bit each day and visited shrines and historic sites in the area.

Sasuke couldn't remember ever being happier. He could finally spend time with Naruto without either of their lives being in danger. The only thing that could make it better would be his reacceptance into Konohagakure. He knew it wouldn't be coming anytime soon, but he looked forwards to the time when it would be possible.

"Hey, Sasuke, how many bowls of ramen can I have?" Naruto asked, grinning at him.

Sasuke smiled lightly back at him. "We'll see."

* * *

**Epilogue: Our Voices United**

Sasuke walked along the streets of Konohagakure, his mind wandering. He approached the Hokage's office. When he arrived at the door to the building, he passed Sakura on her way out.

"Oh, Sasuke, you're going to see Naruto?"

He nodded silently.

"Well, I guess now I understand why he was so distracted while I was talking to him. He must be waiting for you." She laughed and grinned at him. "You had batter hurry up. He might start to panic if you're much longer."

Sasuke gave a sound to acknowledge he was heard her and walked on. He moved down the hallways until he reached the door he wanted. Opening it, he called out, "Naruto, are you ready to go home?"

Naruto looked up from where he was sitting at the desk. "Sasuke, you're here! I've been waiting. Just let me put this stuff away, and then I'll be ready to go." He started to straighten up his desk and shove stacks of paper into desk drawers.

Much to Sasuke's and Naruto's relief, Sasuke had been warmly welcomed back into Konohagakure. No doubt it had to do with how Sasuke had aided the village. He had taken down a good number of Akatsuki members while still living outside of the village, and had come the village's aid when it had been attacked by the remaining members. At the time, Naruto had been in training to be the next Hokage. Soon after the threat was eliminated, Naruto had officially taken over as the Rokudaime Hokage. His first act was to pardon Sasuke and allow him to return to the village.

Eventually, word got around that Sasuke and Naruto were involved with each other. A few young women were temporarily heartbroken, but that was the worst of it. Their relationship thankfully hadn't brought them any trouble.

Sasuke had fixed up the main house of the Uchiha compound and convinced Naruto to move out of his apartment to live with him.

Though Naruto had originally teased Sasuke about still being a gennin, he had convinced Tsunade, who had still been the Hokage at the time, to allow Sasuke to skip the chuunin exam and take the jounin exam instead. Sasuke had recently received the title of ANBU captain, and was one of one of Konohagakure's most valuable ninja.

"Okay, I'm ready! Let's go." Naruto stood up and walked toward Sasuke. "By the way, thanks for walking home with me tonight, Sasuke." They left together, heading for their home.

'_Our_ home,' Sasuke thought. 'We're finally together.' He was grateful for that fact every day. Holding Naruto's hand in his own as they slowly made their way down the moonlit street, Sasuke wondered how his life had ever turned out so well. It seemed to him like he made so many huge mistakes, but things turned out alright in spite of them. Since realizing his love for Naruto, he had wanted an eternity to make up for the time he had wasted. What he had was a lifetime. The warm hand in his reassured him. 'It's enough.'

**The End**

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**A/N: **It's over! Finally, the last chapter is posted. I'm surprised I made it. Honestly, when I started writing this I had no idea where I was going. I would have a vague idea of what I wanted to happen in each chapter after I finished writing the previous one, but most of it was created as I wrote. In hindsight, that was probably not a good idea. Thank you everyone who read, reviewed, and put up with my constant lateness.

Uh, sorry about the dream/memory sequence. If I didn't make it clear, Naruto was remembering a short span of awareness he had back in Sound Village, set just before the first chapter. I thought it might tie the whole story together a bit better, but I might have failed. XD


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